Sunday, July 10, 2016

Murder Mezzo Forte

Today's book review is Murder Mezzo Forte, by Donn Taylor. This is a university campus based story where a professor gets killed and 2 more professors try to find out who did it. What they have going for them: they already solved the murder of a different professor on campus together in a previous book. Their challenges: thugs following them and corrupt cops.

I'll be honest. I had a hard time relating to the main character. He's reclusive with this weird internal music thing going on that detracts from the actual story. He's a widower, and comes off as what my dad would call, "half a bubble off." (It's a carpentry term for something that is not level or square when it should be.)

The women portrayed are: the dead, sainted wife; a couple of conniving and seductive characters; and the cold and aloof other professor working to solve the case. I feel like this story would appeal more to a male reader. The men have more range of character, from the nutty professor, to the idiotic Dean Dean, to the amused retiree assisting with research, to the young Asian man at their local culinary hangout.

The author kidded about amputation. Not once, but twice! Those of you who know our family know that my younger daughters, Hannah and Katie, are both amputees (one surgical, one congenital).